


Holding On

by Shi_Toyu



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Canonical Character Death, Gen, Hurt Tony Stark, Mental Anguish, Mental Health Issues, Panic Attacks, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Precious Peter Parker, Tony Angst, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony-centric, author needs a hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2019-04-30 16:34:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14501103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shi_Toyu/pseuds/Shi_Toyu
Summary: WARNING: INFINITY WAR SPOILERS WITHINFor a man with breathtaking mental health issues, Tony had done pretty damn well hanging on this long.





	Holding On

**Author's Note:**

> This could be viewed as a follow up scene to my other IW fic, 'A Comma for a Period'.

_“Mr. Stark? I-I don’t feel so good…”_

_Tony’s heart clenched as Peter stumbled, all but falling into him._

Tony’s body shook where he was curled up in a dark corner of the space ship. He could still feel Peter’s arms around him, his body collapsed against his for those brief, few moments before he was turned to ash or dust or whatever the fuck it was Thanos had done. He trembled as Peter’s words echoed in his ears.

_“I don’t want to go!”_

Fuck! Why him? Why _Peter?_ Why couldn’t those cosmic dickbags who ran the universe have taken Tony instead? Peter didn’t deserve to die. He had so much to live for. How was Tony going to tell Aunt May? Peter had been _his_ responsibility… and he’d let him down. Tony hadn’t been able to keep him safe.

He swallowed down bile as it rose in his throat, nearly choking on it as his muscles refused to work. He felt like he was shaking apart, unraveling at the seams. Guilt and shame dragged him down into an abyss he could never hope to claw his way out of.

Strange had said this was the only way, but Tony hated it. It shouldn’t have been. There should have been some way for the kid to _live._ He deserved to live, deserved so much better than to die because Tony had gotten it in his head that it would be a fucking great choice to face Thanos on his own turf. What a fucking joke. Thanos had destroyed them. It almost made it worse that they’d been able to come so close, so _impossibly_ close, to getting the gauntlet, only to fail.

If they’d managed it, Peter would still be alive.

Tony let out a sob as the full weight of it all finally crashed down on him, unable to hold it back any longer. He’d failed, failed at everything. He’d let everyone down who’d been counting on him and _they’d_ been the ones to pay the price. And now he was left here on this ship, piloted by the daughter of the being who’d killed Peter, every window displaying the very view that’d haunted his nightmares for the past six years.

“Peter,” he rasped, safe in the knowledge that Nebula was still in the cockpit and unable to hear him. “Peter, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…”

The tears dripped down his face as Tony wept, as he mourned for the boy he’d grown to care about so deeply, the one who’d taught him that maybe he didn’t have to be so scared of being a father after all. For Peter, Tony swore to himself, Thanos wouldn’t get away with this.

**Author's Note:**

> I need Peter back, guys, okay? That's all I ask. Just give back Peter.


End file.
